Tease of 2014 Impala, best seller that gets no respect

The Chevrolet Impala full-size sedan is an odd combination: a best-selling car in the USA that nobody seems to love or even think about much.

Chevy hopes to change that with an all-new 2014 model that makes its debut at the New York Auto Show next month. GM provided the "teaser" photo above today.

"When people see the new Impala, it'll be the exclamation point to the renaissance of Chevrolet. It'll really get people's attention," promises Russ Clark, Chevy marketing director.

Chevrolet aims to make the 2014 Impala a showpiece, a car that demands attention, Clark says. "There's no dominant player, and not a lot to get excited about. This is a segment where style is important. The new model is a chance to re-establish the Impala as a vehicle people buy for style."

"I hope they pushed the envelope with the design," says Joe Phillippi, principal of AutoTrends Consulting. "The Malibu is a terrific car, but conservative. They need to wrinkle the sheet metal a little, give the new car some compound curves."

Despite millions of sales since the first Impala arrived as a 1958 model, despite being General Motors' third-best-selling car in the U.S. last year, the Impala gets no respect. It outsold entire brands in 2011 – Acura, Cadillac, Lincoln, Mini, Mitsubishi and Volvo, among others – but is widely dismissed as an outdated car that's OK for fleets that want a big interior and low price, but has little to attract buyers who care about style and technology.

Full-size family sedans like the Impala once dominated the American market, and the Impala was top dog. Chevrolet sold a record 889,000 Impalas in 1964, not counting station wagons.

"It was the consummate middle-class, top-of-the-line family sedan," says Phillippi. "The current car is profitable and has a very strong following among commercial fleets. It's always been a favorite with road warriors – folks who spend a lot of time behind the wheel for work. I expect the new car to have terrific fuel economy. That'll be an important selling pitch for a full-size sedan."

Says Phillippi, "They need to re-establish the Impala as a desirable family vehicle."

With 171,434 sales in 2011, the Impala was a fraction of its historical numbers, but it still outsold its primary competition -- the Ford Taurus, Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima and Hyundai Azera -- put together.

Clark expects the 2014 to attract more individual customers, who account for about a quarter of the current car's sales. Sales to daily rental companies will decline, but not vanish, and Chevy still will court commercial fleets.

"There's upside to Impala's retail sales," Clark said. "There are customers who are waiting for something new in this segment."

A possible hitch in that plan: Taurus, Azera and Avalon all are being refreshed or redesigned sooner, for the 2013 model year.

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About Chris Woodyard

Chris Woodyard is an auto writer for USA TODAY who covers all aspects of motoring. He revels in the exhaust note of a Maserati and the sharp creases of a Cadillac CTS. Chris strives to live a Porsche life on a Scion budget. More about Chris